How to Make Iced Americano: How Much Ice Should You Add? Recommended Coffee Beans for Americano

Some friends have asked FrontStreet Coffee: "How much ice and water do you add to your iced Americano?" FrontStreet Coffee would like to take this opportunity to discuss the proportions of iced Americano.

Understanding Americano Composition

The components of an iced Americano are espresso, water, and ice. Adding water and ice essentially changes the concentration of the coffee. Although the extraction rate and concentration of Americano are similar to pour-over coffee, unlike pour-over, it doesn't need to balance extraction rate and concentration simultaneously—these are completely separate operations.

For the extraction rate, you only need to control the extraction rate of the espresso. Generally, following a 1:2 espresso ratio, the extracted coffee liquid will have an extraction rate of 19-20% and a concentration between 9-10%. At this point, the coffee's extraction rate is already fixed, leaving only the task of diluting the coffee concentration by adding water. In fact, there isn't a precise standard for how much water to add or what concentration to dilute to.

Testing Different Ratios

FrontStreet Coffee conducted a test, examining coffee concentration and taste by adding different proportions of water. The espresso used was FrontStreet Coffee's Sunflower Warm Blend. The extraction method used by FrontStreet Coffee produces espresso with an extraction rate of 19-20% and a concentration between 9-10%. Different coffee beans and extraction rates will produce different results (as will be explained below), so this should be taken as the basic premise for our discussion.

In the first group, FrontStreet Coffee added 180ml of water, a 1:4.5 ratio, which is FrontStreet Coffee's standard ratio for hot Americano. The measured concentration was 1.67%, which according to Golden Cup standards is considered extremely high concentration.

In the second group, FrontStreet Coffee added 240ml of water, a 1:6 ratio, which according to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding is one of the mainstream Americano ratios. The measured concentration was 1.34%, which hits the Golden Cup standard.

In the third group, FrontStreet Coffee added 320ml of water, a 1:8 ratio, with a measured concentration of 1.05%, which is relatively low.

Finding the Perfect Balance

In terms of concentration, the 1:6 ratio is more scientifically sound for Americano. However, FrontStreet Coffee ultimately chose the 1:4.5 ratio because we're drinking coffee, and actual sensory feedback is very important. Through continuous comparison, FrontStreet Coffee found that the Warm Sun Blend coffee beans at a 1:4.5 Americano ratio produce the best wine aroma, vanilla cream, chocolate, and brown sugar flavors. Although the data indicates a rather high concentration, in actual sensory experience, it doesn't feel too concentrated or create any jarring sensations.

The 1:6 ratio is mainly suitable for currently prevalent nutty-chocolate flavored espresso beans. These coffee beans primarily feature bitter flavors, and controlling the concentration within a range acceptable to the general public ensures it's neither too concentrated nor too diluted, with sufficient coffee flavor—everything perfectly balanced to achieve a balanced, mainstream Americano.

The 1:8 ratio is suitable for very dark-roasted traditional espresso beans. The espresso extracted from these beans has very strong bitter flavors, requiring more water for dilution. In fact, the 1:8 ratio was also commonly used for Americano in the past, but as flavor became more important and bean quality improved, espresso extraction parameters gradually changed, leading to a series of chain reactions that made this ratio less common (though some chain brands may still use it).

Iced Americano Considerations

One difference between making iced Americano and hot Americano is that ice melts into water over time, causing the coffee to become diluted. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee's approach to making iced Americano is to both ensure the flavor of the iced Americano and maintain a low temperature for an extended period.

Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee chooses larger, harder ice cubes, which slow down the melting speed. For the water ratio, less water is used than for hot Americano, so that as the ice slightly melts, the concentration will decrease.

In practice, using FrontStreet Coffee's Warm Sun coffee beans to make espresso as an example: 40g of espresso, plus 120ml of water and 100g (4 pieces) of large ice cubes. The ratio of coffee, water, and ice is 1:3:2.5. According to FrontStreet Coffee's observations, many customers have about 2 ice cubes remaining after finishing their drink. Of course, this ratio is not absolute—everyone can understand FrontStreet Coffee's approach and determine their preferred ratio based on the flavor characteristics of the coffee beans they use.

Bubbly Americano Alternative

In addition to regular iced Americano, FrontStreet Coffee has found another cold coffee drink that is equally popular—the "Bubbly Iced Americano," which features sparkling water as the main ingredient. Let's briefly discuss how to make it.

How to Make Bubbly Americano?

Similar to regular iced Americano, making bubbly Americano requires just three simple steps: add ice, add water, pour espresso. However, here the drinking water should be replaced with carbonated beverages. When replicating this, you can purchase plain sparkling water as the base, or choose fruit-flavored varieties to enhance the layered complexity of the coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee's parameters for replicating bubbly Americano are roughly the same as for regular iced Americano. First, find a large enough glass, add 3 ice cubes (100 grams), and pour in tonic water or sparkling water until 80% full. Then use 20 grams of Sunflower Warm Blend coffee powder to extract 40 grams of espresso liquid, pour it in gently, and finally give it a slight stir. You can then begin experiencing the main theme formed in your mouth as the coffee and sparkling water interact with each other.

Important Notice :

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